Banding apparatus for forming packages



Feb. 19, 1957 E. w. wlLsoN 2,781,621

BANDING APPARATUS FOR FORMING PACKAGES Filed May 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet1 @@m/ ha@ ,s

Feb. 19, 1957 Y E. w. wiLsoN BANQING APPARATUS FOR FORMING PACKAGES 2Sheets-Sheet 2 l 1 I I l Il BANDING APPARATUS FOR FORMING PACKAGESEdward W. Wilson, Nashua, N. H., assignor to Nashua Corporation, Nashua,N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 20, 1954, SerialNo. 431,185

5 Claims. (Cl. 53-198) This invention relates to an appliance for use inassembling, by means of encircling bands, a plurality of small packagesor other objects to serve as a unit of sale, the Work being done byhand. The invention finds a particular application for assembling anumber of packs of cigarettes to form a less carton lot. The particularmechanism which I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings isspecilically designed for use with cigarette packages and, forconvenience, butwithout limiting the invention I will describe it interms of such an application.

It will be recalled that popular brands of cigarettes at the presenttime are sold in packs of twenty, in tightly fitting flexible wrappingsof foil and paper, and that ten such packages are ordinarily packaged asa carton. A carton is a rather considerable supply unless the purchaseris going to take them directly to his home or ofce and the price notinconsiderable. On the other hand, twenty cigarettes are not much of aration for a steady cigarette smoker. Particularly in self-servicestores it would be desirable to have a package of internited StatesPatent() mediate size. In that case-the purchaser would be likely to buysuch a package. The sale would be handled as a single transaction withresulting economy. Also the temptation to dispose of a single package inthe pocket or handbag without exhibiting it at the checking out stationwould be done away with.

The requirements of, the ordinary retail outlet would not justify theuse of an automatic machine, but facilities whereby, say, live packagesof cigarettes could be neatly and rmly united ina single unit, the workbeing done by regular employees during slack periods, are desirable.

My invention will be well understood by reference to the followingdescription of the illustrative embodiment thereof shown, by way ofexample, in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a side elevation with a part broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan, with part of the top member broken away. The bands arenot shown;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, but including the bandspartly broken away;

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3 showing cigarette packs inplace ready for banding;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to part of Fig. 4 showing a laterstage of the banding operation; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the banded package on a smaller scale.

In Fig. 6 there is shown a package comprising live packs P of cigarettes(half a carton) joined by the encircling bands B-l and B-2 of paper,which are in relatively perpendicular planes, one encircling the packsbetween their smaller ends and one crossing such smaller endstransversely, the two holding the packs neatly in alignment. Such apackage may be quickly made with the appliance of the 'kind shown in theother gures and which will now be described. The appliance shown is ofcast aluminum and to facilitate its production is ICC formed from twocastings, a base member and a top member. Herein the base membercomprises two end frames 10, joined by two outer, longitudinals webs 12,and two spaced inner webs 14 parallel thereto, each pair of webs 12 and14 at opposite sides of the center line defining an open topped pocketclosed by a bottom 16 which, as best seen in Fig. 3, is concaveupwardly, herein as a curve, for a purpose to be described, and theupper edges of the webs may be similarly concaved as shown. The innerwebs 14 are relatively widely spaced at opposite sides of the centerline. The upper member (partly broken away in Fig. 2), which rests uponthe base in the manner of a lid, comprises two end frames 18, joined bytwo lateral webs 20, which lie vertically above the side webs 12 of thebody proper and a central broad web which may be of generally invertedchannel form, as seen in Fig. 4, having depending flanges 22substantially coplanar with the webs 14 of the base member and topportion 24 which overlies the space between the two inner webs 14, aslikewise seen in that ligure. Toward either end of the appliance, butinset from the frames 18, the webs 20 and the central member haveelevated portions 26 and 28 respectively, presenting inwardly facinglateral shoulders for a purpose to be,v described. The open tops of thepockets in the lower member are exposed between the top 24 of thecentral member and the, lateral webs 20, and these pockets extendoutwardly at either end beyond the shoulders 26 and 28, as clearly seenin Fig. 3. At either side the space between the elevated portions 26 atthe outer side and 28 at the inner side bounded at the end by the frames18 are above the end portions of the pockets in the lower member andserve as continuations thereof, the whole when the assembly isconsidered forming a concaved open-topped pocket which extends along themember 14 below the level of the same and upwardly above the sameoutwardly of the lateral shoulders formed by the elevated portions 26and 28.

An angular member comprising relatively perpendicular flanges 30 and 32is pivoted at the intersection of these flanges above the part 24 andbetween the two shoulders 28. The top of portion 24, as seen in Figs. 4and 5, may be parallel to, but somewhat below, the level of the tops ofwebs 20, so that when the angular member is turned so that one of itsanges, 30 or 32, points toward a web 20 the upper surface of that angeis substantially coplanar with the top surface of that web.

The pockets provide each for the reception of a stack of paper bands B-1and B-Z to be joined around an assembled group of packs, two bands beingapplied in relatively perpendicular planes. The upwardly concave form ofthe pockets gives such a stack of bands a bend when it is placedtherein. The central portion of the stack is below the tops of webs 20and of flanges 30 and 32 when the latter are horizontal. The endportions extend upwardly, outwardly beyond the shoulders of 26 and 28,and are supported laterally by the end frames 18. When the stack is thusbent its end edges are fanned out, the ends of the individual bandsbeing offset so that the top one may easily be separated from the rest.

After the two pockets are filled the operation of banding a half cartonof cigarettes may be effected as follows. Referring to Fig. l theangular member is adjusted so that the flange 32 extends upwardly andthe lange 30 rests with its top coplanar with the supporting surfaceprovided by the top of the adjacent web 20. Five packs are then placedon this flange and this supporting surface with their longer sidesbridging the pocket between them. The upstanding shoulders 28 and 26 atthe right, for instance, provide a guide for stacking these together,while the upstanding flange 32 aligns the ends This is illustrated inFig. L4. The operator will then grasp with his finger the two ends ofthe top bands B1 in the subjacent pocket. Its ends are bent up over thegroup of packs, one end held firmly and the other brought down on top ofit and'joined thereto.

While the bands may be joined in any desirable way as by any suitableadhesive means, it may be anticipated that usually the bands will be ofthe type described in the patent to Lane 2,000,763, May 7, 1935, the twoends of each band being coated on its opposite faces respectively withrubber latex or similar material, which will adhere to a like coating toform a joint, although alone it will not stick to exterior objects.

The five packs are now joined by a band B-1 encircling their smallercross-section in the manner of a sleeve. To complete the package thejoined group of packs may be tilted over away from the reader (viewingFig. 1) to the position of Fig. 5, the angular member comprising theflanges 30 and 32 and moving with them, and the group of packages is nowpositioned as seen in Fig. 5 with their shorter ends supported by theflange 32 and by the other web in bridging relation to the otherband-holding pocket, and the group of packages is aligned by the ange 30which now extends vertically. A band B-Z from the other pocket is thensecured about the longer dimensions of the package at right-angles tothe previous band, thus securing the several packs rmly together as aunit, as seen in Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it will be noted that the angular membercomprising the anges 30 and 32 is pivoted at one side of the centralplane of the device and the two flanges are unequal in length. This isbecause the cigarette packs have a longer and a shorter side and theconstruction permits them to be positioned in bridging relation to thetops of the band-receiving pockets without obstruction of the tops ofthe latter, and with the support provided for by the webs 20 adjacentthe outer parts of the sides above them, as will be clear from Figs. 4and 5. An overhang would not be objectionable provided the center ofgravity was properly located and the point of application suitable.Thus, while I have illustrated cigarette packs for the common, shortertype of cigarette, the same appliance could be used for banding togetherso-called king-size packages. It is obvious that a package comprising anumber of packs different from five could be similarly made up.

I l.am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific formswithout departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and Itherefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respectsas illustrative and not restrictive, as is in fact clear in severalmatters from the description itself. Reference is to be had to theappended claims to indicate those principles of the inventionexemplified by the particular embodiment described and which I desire tosecure by Letters Patent.

I claim:

l. An appliance for facilitating banding of a plurality of objectscomprising a base member with end frames, spaced webs between the framesdefining two spaced open-topped pockets, and upwardly concaved bottomsfor said pockets, a top member seated on the base member and having websextending along the outer sides of said pockets and between the two toexpose the tops of the pockets between them, said webs being elevatedadjacent the ends of the member to provide laterally positionedshoulders, a member having two angularly disposed flanges, the memberbeing rotatably supported at the junction of its flanges at the middleportion of the top and having two positions of adjustment in each ofwhich one ange extends toward one of the side webs and provides asupporting surface substantially coplanar with the top of the web andthe other extends vertically to of the packages.

provide an aligning guide for objects supported in bridging relationacross the open top of a pocket by the other flange and by the webtoward which it extends.

2. An appliance for facilitating banding of a group of like objectsprovided with a pair of spaced longitudinally-extending open-toppedpockets in each of which a stack of bands may be positioned and havingat either side of said pockets horizontal supporting surfaces andbetween the pockets a member having angularly related flanges, saidmember being movably mounted for alternative disposition in twopositions in one of which vone of said anges is coplanar with one ofsaid surfaces to cooperate therewith to support the objects in crossingrelation to the adjacent pocket while the other extends upwardly toengage the ends of such crossing objects and to aiign the same, whereasin the other position said other flange is coplanar with the othersurface and said one ange extends upwardly.

3. An appliance for facilitating banding of a group of like objectsprovided with a pair of spaced longitudinally-extending open-toppedpockets in each of which a stack of bands may be positioned and havingat either side of said pockets horizontal supporting surfaces andbetween the pockets a member having angularly related flanges, saidmember being movably mounted for alternative disposition in twopositions in one of which one of said flanges is coplanar with one ofsaid surfaces to cooperate therewith to support the objects in crossingrelation to the adjacent pocket while the other extends upwardly toengage the ends of such crossing objects and to align the same, whereasin the other position said other flange is coplanar with the othersurface and said one flange extends upwardly, there being an cnd stopadjacent at least one end of the angular member for positioning a groupof objects between the ends of the bands.

4. An appliance for facilitating banding of a group of like objectsprovided with a pair of spaced longitudinally-extending open-toppedpockets in each of which a stack of bands may be positioned, the pocketshaving end walls to maintain such a stack in flexed position with theend portions of the bands upwardly extending and in fanned-out relation,the appliance having at either side of said pockets horizontalsupporting surfaces and between the pockets a member having angularlyrelated flanges, said member being movably mounted for alternativedisposition in two positions in one of which one of said anges iscoplanar with one of said surfaces to cooperate therewith to support theobjects in crossing relation to the adjacent pocket while the otherextends upwardly to engage the ends of such crossing objects and toalign the same, whereas in the other position said other ange iscoplanar with the other surface and said one flange extends upwardly.

5. An appliance for facilitating manual banding of a group of likeobjects provided with an open-topped pocket to receive from above themiddle portion of a stack of bands longer than the pocket, the pocketbeing concaved upwardly to bend the stack whereby the end portions ofthe bands are directed upwardly and fanned out to facilitate manualseparation of individual bands from the stack, supporting surfaces ateither side of the pocket between the ends thereof to support objects incrossing relation thereto and a side stop and an end stop bothprojecting above said surfaces, for cooperating with such objects toposition the same.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

